A 2001 SCHS graduate, Wolfe had to wait two years for a talented senior class that won 63 games during that span to crack the Lady Wildcats lineup. Once she got her chance as a junior in the 1999 season, the middle hitter was named the North Egypt Conference Most Valuable Player Award. Besides her individual honor, Wolfe helped Salem compile a 25-7 record to along with an NEC and Class AA regional championship. Wolfe won another NEC MVP Award in volleyball during her senior season in 2000, as she helped the Lady Wildcats put together a 22-6 record and another NEC title.

Although Wolfe also had to wait until her junior season to crack the Salem starting lineup in basketball, she proved to be a valuable sixth man as a sophomore for the 1998-99 Lady Wildcats squad that went 28-3, won the NEC championship and advanced tot he Class AA Elite Eight. Jones averaged 8.2 points per game as a sophomore and earned NEC Honorable Mention status. Wolfe proved to be an early threat from long range, as her 38.5 percentage from three-point territory (25-65) ranked ninth best in school history at the time of her induction. She also qualified for state competition in the Country Financial Three-Point Shot competition.

When Wolfe moved into a starting role in the 1999-2000 season, she became the NEC’s leading scorer at
22.7 points a game and received the NEC Honorary Captain Award, the league’s second-highest honor behind MVP. The 611 points Wolfe scored that season ranked sixth in school history at the time of her induction.

Wolfe finished her high school basketball career with another strong season during the 2000-01 campaign, as she averaged 19.9 points a game and was named the NEC’s Honorary Captain for the second season in a row. Wolfe was especially deadly at the free throw line where she made 105 of her
131 attempts, good for an 80.1 percent mark that ranked second in school history. Wolfe was named to
the Southern Illinois Coaches Association All-South Team for the second year in a row to go along with a Second Team spot on the Champaign News Gazette All-State Second Team and the IBCA All-State Third Team. Wolfe finished her SCHS career with 1,517 points, a total that ranked fourth in school history.

Wolfe, who received the Salem Times-Commoner Female Athlete of the Year Award in 2000, chose basketball and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale to continue her education and athletic career.

During her time with the Lady Salukis Wolfe had a 33-point game that ranks fifth in SIU-C history and tied the school record for most three-pointers in a game with seven. She finished third in career made three-pointers and sixth in career three-point percentage.

Wolfe entered the coaching ranks after graduation from college, as she coached girls basketball one season at Casey Middle School in Mt. Vernon and four seasons at Selmaville Grade school.

Wolfe joins her father, Don Jones, in the SCHS Sports Hall of Fame. Jones was inducted in 2005.

Led by individual championships by Chris Owen, Salem kicked off its season by winning the Murphysboro and Granite City Invitationals. The Wildcats displayed their team depth when they won the Herrin Invitational with their junior varsity squad led by a fourth place finish by Willie Shuler. The Wildcats won their fourth straight race to start the season when they claimed the title at the Mt. Vernon Invitational, as Salem had the first or second place finisher in five of the seven flighted races.

Salem suffered its first setback of the season when it finished second to Naperville North at the Downers Grove Invitational, but the Wildcats still had three of the top ten runners led by a third place finish by Chris Owen.

Salem moved back into the winners circle when it won the Springfield Invitational followed by a runner-up spot at the Peoria Invitational. Salem added another first place finish to its resume when it won the Metamora Invitational and closed out the regular season with a fourth place finish at the Benton Invitational in a meet where its varsity members remained home.

Salem’s only home meet of the season was the NEC Meet at Bryan Park where the Wildcats turned in a perfect score of 15 points to take the crown. Chris Owen broke the course record set by former Carmi and University of Illinois runner Jason Zieren with a time of 16:16. The rest of the perfect score was compiled by Henry Alers in second place, Nathan Purcell in third,Shane Kelly in fourth and Shannon Owen in fifth. Salem’s NEC championship effort also included Charley Stanley in sixth and Jason Ryan in eighth.

The success the Wildcats compiled during the regular season carried over to the postseason, as Coach Kirby Phillips’ crew won the St. Jacob Triad Regional by a 40-point margin over second place Centralia. Chris Owen won the individual regional championship with a time of 15:47, while the other counter spots were Purcell in sixth, Alers in seventh,Shannon Owen in eighth and Stanley in 13th. Also running for Salem were Kelly in 18th place and Tommy Oliverio was 20th.

Salem won its second straight postseason race at the Centralia Sectional when it edged Belleville West by a mere point,102-103, for the top spot. Chris Owen led the championship run with a second place finish in a time of 15:48. The other counters were Purcell in 16th place, Alers in 21st,Shannon Owen in 28th and Stanley was 42nd. Also competing were Kelly in 49th place and Oliverio was 57th.

The Wildcats finished the season with a 17th place finish at the Class AA state meet held at Peoria’s Detweiller Park with a lineup that contained just one senior. Chris Owen closed out a stellar high school career with a team-best 52nd place mark in a time of 15:29. Purcell, a sophomore, ran No. 2 and was 76th overall at 15:45, while Stanley, another sophomore, ran No. 3 and was 149th at 16:15. Alers, a junior, was 159th at 16:20 and Shannon Owen, a junior, was the final team counter in 164th place at 16:25. Also running at state were Oliverio, a sophomore, in 167th place at 16:29 and Kelly, a sophomore, in 205th place at 17:04.

A 1980 graduate of SCHS, Saikia was a stellar pitcher for the Wildcats having tossed a no-hitter against Mt. Vernon in a contest where he had the game’s only hit and the game’s only run.

Saikia continued his baseball career as a player at Eastern Illinois where he was part of a Panthers squad that reached the NCAA D-II World Series. Saikia transferred to Rend Lake College and transferred again to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Saikia played two seasons for the Kenai Peninsula Oilers in the Alaska League and was named to the All-Alaska Team in 1984.

After his days as a player ended, he became the head baseball coach at York, PA. College. Saikia served as the Spartans head coach for 24 years and complied a 515-392-4 record during that time. His teams won three Capital Athletic Conference championships and three times he was named the CAC Coach of the Year (1992,1996 and 1999). Nine times he coached teams that reached the NCAA D-III tournament. Saikia coached four players that won the CAC Player of the Year and five players who were named CAC rookie of the Year.

Saikia served as York’s assistant athletic director form 2001-11. He was named interim assistant Dean of Athletics in 2011, the same year he stepped away from coaching the Spartans baseball program. Saikia had the interim tag removed the following summer. Saikia was inducted into the York College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2015.

McMullen will always hold the distinction of being the only girl to win four North Egypt Conference individual cross country championships, as that league disbanded in 2003. When McMullen won the first four of those NEC titles in 1996 as a freshman, she did so by establishing a new Salem Bryan Park Course record with a time of 12:06. McMullen had to be at her best that day because teammate Trisha (Hustedde) Richards also broke the course record.

McMullen’s other NEC cross country titles came at Carmi in 1997 with a time of 12:51, at Fairfield in 1998 with a time of 13:34 and finally at Olney in 1999 in a time of 15:54, which marked the first year girls courses were lengthened from two to two and a half miles. Led by McMullen, the Lady Wildcats won the NEC championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998.

McMullen competed in the Class AA state cross country meet during all four years in high school Salem qualified as a team during three of those years. As a freshman in 1996, McMullen was fifth at the Troy Triad Regional and fourth at the Centralia Sectional to lead Salem to team championships in both meets. She ended the year with a 107th place finish at the state meet, as Salem took 19th as a team.

Led by McMullen’s seventh place finish at the Centralia Regional, Salem defended its regional title at Centralia in 1997. McMullen was 14th at the Decatur Sectional race, as the Lady Wildcats finished third as a team and earned another trip to state. When McMullen helped Salem to a 19th place at the state meet, she set a new school standard at the state race for the best place (54th) and best time (12.33).

McMullen accomplished some more school history in 1998 when she became the first Lady Wildcat runner to win an individual regional championship, as she took home the title at Mt. Vernon with a time of 15:21 and led Salem to a third regional title. McMullen was ninth at the Centralia Sectional, as a second place team finish earned Salem another trip to state. McMullen improved her girls school record for best place at the state race when she finished 38th in a time of 15:07 and the 15th place finish by the Lady Wildcats was also the best in school history.

McMullen’s fourth and final trip to state in cross country came as an individual in 1999, as she was third at the Salem Regional, 23rd at the Centralia Sectional and 125th at state when she was Salem’s only qualifier.

McMullen’s success was not just limited to cross country. During her freshman track season in 1997, McMullen broke the SCHS record in the 3200 meters with a time of 11:48.2 and also set a new NEC record with a 12:16. As a sophomore McMullen qualified for the Class AA state meet in the 3200 meters and finished 29th with a time of 12:16. As a sophomore McMullen earned another trip to state in the 3200 meters in 1998 and improved her finish to 20th in a time of 11:49. Also during her sophomore season McMullen set new SCHS indoor records in the 1600 meters with a time of 5:37.1 and the 3200 meters at 12:21.8. She also teamed up with Stephanie Helton, Trisha Hustedde and Megan Grizzle to set a new SCHS indoor record in the 3200-meter relay with a time of 10:38.3.

After graduation from SCHS, McMullen continued her running where she competed for Murray State University and Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville.

At the time of her induction, McMullen was working as an elementary school teacher.

As a junior during the 1993-94 season, Thayer averaged 15.5 points and seven rebounds per contest. Thayer was even better during NEC play where he averaged 18 points a contest including a season-high 28 during a victory at Olney en route to landing all-league Second Team honors.

Thayer saved his best for his senior season where he scored 498 points and averaged 19.9 points per game, which included a career-high 30 points in a 73-54 victory over Red Hill. Thayer helped Salem win its first first-round game at the Centralia Holiday Tournament since 1973 when he tallied 12 points in the Wildcats’ 73-69 victory over Rich East. He followed that up with a 27-point outing in a second-round loss to Chicago Carver that helped land Thayer on the Centralia All-Tournament Second Team.

Later in the season Thayer was named to the All-SIT Team for the second time in three years. Thayer scored 75 points during Salem’s three games, as the Wildcats reached the consolation championship game.

Thayer moved within range of Gaule’s school scoring record when he turned in a 22-point night, as the Wildcats beat Carbondale 65-44 in the first-round of regional play held at B.E. Gum Gym. Carbondale had finished as the Class AA state runner-up the previous season. While Salem’s season ended with the loss to Centralia the following game, the 14-11 record Thayer helped the Wildcats compile was the program’s first winning season in ten years.

Thayer was named to the All-NEC First Team and was selected to represent the NEC All-Stars in its all-star game against the Midland Trail Conference held at Flora. Thayer tallied 15 points in the NEC’s 98-84 loss. Thayer was also chosen to compete in the Lions Club All-Star contest.

Thayer’s athletic excellence was not limited to just basketball. Thayer also exceled on the baseball field. As primarily an outfielder, Thayer won Salem’s team triple crown as a senior in 1995 where he posted team highs in batting average at .370, home runs with four and RBIs with 23 en route to landing All-NEC Team honors.

Basketball proved to be Thayer’s ticket to college where he spent four productive seasons with the McKendree Bearcats. Besides his production on the court, Thayer exceled in the classroom at McKendree where he received American Midwest Conference and Midwest Region All-Academic Team honors.

After graduation from college Thayer became a special agent with the ATF and investigates federal firearm violations.